Seasons Change
by Atypicall
Summary: A tragic accident threatens to tear the house apart. Jay and Bradin centric, but has everyone.
1. Default Chapter

Title:  
  
A/N: My first Summerland story. It's AU. A tragic accident rocks the house and brings changes for everyone. All cast included, but mostly Bradin and Jay.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them, cept the ones I made up.   
  
Dark eyes twinkled as Erika hooked her arms around Jay's neck. Her mouth quirked. "Tell me," she whispered teasingly. Jay squeezed his lips together and gave a small shake of his head. "Tell me," Erika demanded again, "or I won't kiss you before I go."  
  
Jay shrugged. "That's all right."  
  
"Really?" She pulled back a bit, surprised.  
  
"Sure. Cuz I can always kiss you." He leaned forward, gently grasping her chin with one hand. The kiss was soft, with the quick intimacy shared between lovers. She tasted sweet, like the vanilla lip balm she always wore. He rested his forehead against hers as she laughed.  
  
"You got me," she admitted.  
  
"I always do," he grinned.  
  
"Hey." Erika's chin jutted out stubbornly. She gave his shoulder a push. "Don't get cocky with me. I know you too well to let your head swell like that."  
  
The Australian brushed a lock of dark hair out her eyes. "I suppose you do."  
  
"But you're still not gonna tell me, are you?"  
  
"Nope." He loved torturing her, the little pout she got when she was frustrated, and the coy smile she used when trying to weasel secrets out of him. "I'll tell you tonight, at dinner, promise. 7:30 at Renaldo's, don't be late."  
  
Her smiled broadened and her nose wrinkled. "I can't believe we're having dinner at the most expensive French restaurant on the beach. It's not even an any month anniversary. You better watch out Jay, or you're gonna turn into a regular romantic on me. And I can't believe you, of all people, just told ME not be late."  
  
Jay winced, sucking in a breath between clenched teeth. "Okay, so I don't have the best track record." His eyes flicked over her face, noting the raised eyebrow. "Okay okay, so I have one of the worst records. I know. But no worries, all I have to do is close up shop in an hour and then head home for a shower and quick change. I'll even be early."  
  
Erika rolled her eyes. "On time is fine. I'm gonna head out then, so I don't distract you and make you late. Besides, I need to get ready too. I'll see you tonight." She kissed him again and turned on her heel, striding for the door.   
  
Jay watched her go, through the door, and out toward the parking lot, till she was a mere dot in his eyes. He chewed the inside of his lip, and his hand slipped into the pocket of his shorts. He leaned on his elbow, running his free hand over his mouth. He set the small box down on the counter in front of him, staring down at the black velvet case. It had taken him a long time to get here, but he finally realized it was exactly where he wanted to be.  
  
--  
  
Erika was practically skipping as she made her way into the parking lot. She and Jay had come so far in the past months, and she finally was sure that they were real. This time she wasn't imagining anything. She tossed her bag into the back of her open cab and opened the driver's side door. It was then that she noticed the commotion a few yards away. Erika recognized the form and spiky blond hair of Bradin, nephew to Jay's roommate Ava and her own brightest new student.   
  
He stood with a tiny blonde beside a dark two seat sports car. She couldn't hear the conversation, but the wild hand gestures and occasional loud shout were clue enough that they were arguing. Suddenly the blonde struck out, the slap of her hand against Bradin's face echoing across the tarmac. Then she pushed him and lunged for her car, jumping inside before Bradin could stop her. The tires squealed as she tore from the parking lot, leaving two strips of rubber in her wake.  
  
Bradin's shoulders slumped forward. One hand gingerly probed his face. He spotted Erika watching him when he turned. Almost immediately he picked up a run. "Erika!" he yelled. he sprinted toward her, shoes skidding on the pavement as he slid to a halt on the other side of the car. His eyes were wide and wild. "I need a ride," he said in a rush.  
  
"No prob Bradin, I can drop you at home."  
  
"No, not home. Sarah's pissed. She told me her parents want to send her away to boarding school. She was really upset and I think I made it worse. She doesn't think anyone cares. Erika I think she might do something stupid. I need to follow her. Please?"  
  
A bubble of unease welled in the older girl's stomach. She glanced at the small digital clock on her dash. 5:48. Her mind raced. Follow Sarah, deal with whatever melodrama was to follow and still have enough time to get ready and meet Jay? She sighed, knowing full well that this excursion would probably make her late. Maybe if she hadn't just seen her peel out of the parking lot. Maybe if Bradin didn't look quite so freaked. But the maybe's didn't matter, because she had seen it, and he did look freaked. She sighed. "Get in."  
  
Bradin's stone set face shattered into a grateful, relieved smile. "Thanks."  
  
"Don't thank me yet," Erika said grimly. "We still have to catch her, and I can guarantee that little car of hers has more juice than mine." His face darkened again. "We'll get her," she assured. "Just....buckle up huh?"  
  
Five minutes later her dark hair whipped her in the face as they sped along the freeway, headed south. The knot in Erika's stomach grew heavier with each passing mile marker, knowing that every moment took her farther from Playa Linda, and farther from her fancy dinner and romantic evening.  
  
She pressed her foot farther down on the gas pedal. The engine roared, the needle of the tachometer hovering just past 5 thousand RPM's. She willed the engine to shift, and made a mental note to have someone check the transmission the next time she took it in. Finally the engine shifted gears, and they zipped through a small gap between an SUV and a semi.   
  
Bradin's half closed fist hammered her shoulder. "There!" He shouted. The wind tore away at his words. He pointed over to the far left lane, where a small, dark car was weaving dangerously between cars. "That's her! Can you get closer? Maybe she'll pull over if she sees me." The girl is nuts, Erika decided in that instant. She's gonna get herself killed. She didn't however, think that this was the best time to tell Bradin of her revelation of his girlfriend.  
  
Erika grit her teeth and pressed her foot to the floor. The needle hovered between 85 and 90. Sarah's car was only one car in front of and a lane over when it happened. With no warning whatsoever Sarah cut across three lanes of traffic and up onto an exit ramp. One driver, completely unaware of the erratic teen, had merged onto the ramp as well.   
  
The dark sports car nearly clipped the bumper of the four door sedan. The driver instinctively hit the brakes and jerked his wheel back over to the left. The sedan careened into the side of a minivan at nearly sixty miles an hour, sending it spinning around into the path of a large work truck towing lawn maintenance equipments behind it. The trailer and truck jack knife, and the trailer flipped, dumping its load into the middle of the highway.  
  
Erika saw the whole thing happen in slow motion, when in reality it had taken less than a few seconds. She hit the brakes, already knowing they were too close, and going too fast to stop. Bradin's hands gripping the dash were bone white. She cranked the steering wheel to the right and the sound of squealing tires filled her ears.   
  
Bradin held his breath as he watched them slide toward the pileup. He felt the wheels lose their hold on the asphalt and the top heavy vehicle begin to flip. There was the sound of crunching metal and a scream. Then there was nothing, just the silence, and the dark.  
  
--  
  
Jay barely registered two of his best friends huddled together on the living room couch when he got home later that day. He pulled open the fridge door and picked out a soda, popping the top as he shut the door. "Where is everyone?" He asked, sipping his drink. "Usually it's a three ring circus in here around this time."  
  
"Jay...." Susannah's voice was thick.   
  
He turned, his jubilation dying away just a little. Johnny and Susannah stood in the center of the living room, though Susannah looked like she was having a hard time of it. Her hair was mussed and her face streaked by tears. An open box of tissues sat empty on the coffee table. Johnny had his arms wrapped securely around her shoulders and even he looked strained.  
  
Jay set the can down on the countertop. "What's wrong?" He jumped down the steps out of the kitchen, an edge of panic creeping into his voice. "Where are the kids? Where's Ava?"  
  
"She took the kids....they left...." Susannah managed to choke out before breaking down in tears.  
  
"Left? Left for where? Somebody please let me know what in bloody hell is going on?" His eyes scanned desperately over Johnny and Susannah.   
  
"The hospital," Jonny told him simply. "There was a car accident man."  
  
"Bradin?" Jay questioned. "Is he okay? Is it bad?"  
  
"Jay, you might want to sit down....."  
  
End Prologue  
  
So what do you think? Love it, hate it? I have a basic idea where I'm going with this, but it does take me a while to update. Feedback is greatly appreciated. 


	2. 2

Chapter 2  
  
A/N: Hehe, sorry to keep you in suspense. I really hope you don't all hate me for this.  
  
Disclaimer: I only own the ones I make up myself.  
  
Nearly One Year Later....  
  
"Did you see him today?" Ava asked quietly, wiping the plate Johnny had just handed her with the dishrag. Her eyes flicked back quickly over her shoulder at the young man still seated at the table. Johnny nodded. "How was he?"  
  
"He's the same Ava, the same as he is every day," the brunette answered.   
  
Ava rubbed the plate more vigorously. "Because you know, it'll be a year next week and well..." she ground down on the inside of her lip.  
  
"I know Ava. So does Jay." he turned off the water and gently grasped Ava's wrists. "Ava I think it's dry."  
  
She flushed, laughing nervously. "Of course." Johnny let go. She swiped at a loose strand of hair with one trembling hand while she set the plate down with the other. "I just know how hard it's going to be, for both of them. I don't want him to be alone. Damn it Johnny I just wish I could make this better." Tears pooled in her eyes.  
  
Her voice wavered. Johnny wrapped one arm around her slender shoulders. He pulled her close to him as he had so many times before in the past year. He rested his chin atop her head, drawing in the sweet scent of his hair and wishing, just like she did, that he could make the pain go away. But he couldn't, no one could, and the sooner they all accepted that fact the better off they'd be.   
  
Johnny's eyes wandered over the faces before him, mostly down trodden, all quiet. The house, which he could remember being so warm and open felt now half empty and cold. The kids were different, not that that was completely unexpected. The accident had come on the heels of losing their parents.  
  
Nikki generally avoided the house as much as possible. She'd buried herself in school and clubs for the school year, and spent the rest of her free time with Cameron. At the beach, on the pier, watching movies at his father's, didn't seem to matter as long as she could stay away. This accident had not brought out the girl's mothering side, to say the least.  
  
Derrick, always quick to smile and quicker to please had grown quiet. Some of the innocence had fled his eyes, and it hurt all their hearts to know that someone so young had already experienced so much loss. He seemed to want to draw away from everyone, as if getting and getting hurt went hand in hand. Ava had him seeing a child psychologist once a week. It seemed to help, a little. But Johnny knew Ava just wished she could convince Bradin to go as well.  
  
Ava pulled away after a moment, muttering apologies and turning her attention back to the dishes. Johnny was well aware of three sets of eyes watching the somewhat awkward moment. Johnny took the matter into his own hands. "So guys, you guys all set for school starting tomorrow? Bags packed, no last minute supplies needed?" The mere mention of school sent the kids to far corners of the house.  
  
Bradin pushed back from the table, unruly hair falling down to partially hide lifeless blue eyes. Dark circles marred the skin beneath, and his whole face seemed hollow and pale. Johnny couldn't remember the last time he'd gone outside. Bradin was supposed to start school with Nikki and Derrick tomorrow, repeating the year he'd missed because of the accident. Johnny had to wonder if he was ready, but he kept that thought to himself, not wanting Ava to worry any more than she already had been.   
  
It had been almost a year, and Johnny still felt a pull in his chest every time he looked at Bradin. He clenched his teeth, watching the young man wheel himself away from the table and back to his room. The wheels of the chair got snagged on a throw rug halfway to his room, and he resisted the urge to go help. He knew the attempt would do nothing but set off his short temper. It was as if asking for help was admitting defeat, that he wanted to hold onto the belief that nothing had changed, that the wheelchair to which he was now bound made no difference.   
  
Bradin managed to remove himself from the rug with only a short struggle. Johnny sighed, running one hand over his mouth. The past year had been hard on them all, and he had the distinct sense that it was going to get worse before it got better. He turned his attention back to Ava.  
  
"You ready for tomorrow? Big day."  
  
She gave a short, bitter chuckle. "Shouldn't you be asking Bradin that?"  
  
"I'm asking you."  
  
"I'll make it through. But Johnny, I want you to know.........this year, the accident.........I couldn't have done it without you and Susannah. I just don't know that it's enough."  
  
"Ava you've done everything humanly possible for those kids. You need to give yourself a break."  
  
"I know, but I can't right now. I mean, the therapist says Derrick really needs support and a strong familial presence right now. And Nikki, I mean, she's starting high school this year and that's a lot of changes for a girl. And Bradin, I mean, I don't know what to do. His PT hasn't been going all that well."  
  
"I thought the doctors were still hopeful?"  
  
Ava squeezed her eyes shut, willing back the tears. "They are, were. His spinal column wasn't ruptured in the accident, but you know that. They were hoping that when his vertebrae healed, some of the pressure, swelling would go down, and he could regain at least some mobility. But lately, it's like he's given up. He's not doing his exercises outside of PT and all the progress he's made........."  
  
"Ava........."  
  
"Johnny I think I'm losing him." The tears spilled over then, and there was nothing Johnny could say. So he held her again, letting her cry into his chest.  
  
--  
  
The night came, a brilliant ebony blanket littered with tiny sparkling stars. There was not a single cloud to mar the sky. It was late, past midnight, though the air was still balmy and warm. Jay Robertson didn't notice any of the evenings perfection. He sat in the sand at the edge of the water, letting the tide come in and wash over his feet.   
  
His hair clung to his head, beads of salt water running from the loose tendrils down his face. A dark stubble arrested his chin, evidence of three days gone by without a shave. His board lay beside him in the sand, and a half empty bottle sat in his hands. The whiskey didn't even make him flinch anymore, the hot liquid burning as it slid down his throat.   
  
His friends worried of course. The young Australian had become nearly a recluse. He still paid rent on the house, but spent most nights on a cot in the back of his shop. The smile had died on his lips, the laughter had seeped from his eyes. In the last year, his gaze had not lingered on Bradin for more than the barest moment. He still surfed, but now he did it alone, at night. The joy he'd once found in it had fled, leaving him to chase the waves, a shadow and a memory.  
  
Johnny had come by the shop that afternoon, asking if Jay wanted to join him 'working out'. Jay had turned down the offer, polite, but firm. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the efforts of his friends, but very little held any appeal for him anymore. He kept the shop open and dealt with customers, but the average surf shop clientele never wanted him to 'talk.' For him, the hurt was still too raw to rationally analyze with the likes of Johnny, Ava or Susannah.   
  
He rested his head on crossed forearms atop his knees. The moment he shut his eyes he saw her face, beautiful, happy, full of life. He choked back a sob. The next moment her face changed and his heart ached anew. He was back in the hospital, as the doctor pulled the sterile white sheet back. The face he saw was mangled almost beyond recognition, cold and empty. The thin string of control he'd been holding since Susannah and Johnny had told him the news snapped. He'd collapsed to his knees on the tile. Jay took a long pull from the bottle.   
  
He contemplated going back into the water, maybe shooting the pier. He'd done it before. He'd cracked up his board and damn near killed himself doing it, but still. At least if he died he wouldn't feel pain gnawing away at him every moment of every day. The liquor was a momentary reprieve, dulling his senses enough for him to make it through the days, the nights. Finally he stood, throwing the empty bottle as hard as he could into the waves. He picked up his board and started tramping back toward his shop.  
  
He was a little more than halfway back to the shop when he saw the dark form in front of him. He stopped, shaking his head to clear away the fuzzy, numb blanket on his brain. He squinted, peering at the dark shape in the moonlight. he realized then that the form was no piece of driftwood, no beached animal, but a girl, a girl with long raven hair. "Erika," he breathed, knowing all the while it wasn't possible.  
  
Jay plunged his board into the beach. She lay half in, half out of the water, curled over on her side with her back to him. The water pulled at her, creeping up past the waistband of her pants. He approached, his steps tentative. He knelt beside her, barely breathing and slowly reached out a hand. He grasped the girl's shoulder. She didn't react. He rolled her onto her back, grimacing at the sight before him. It was like being shot back in time, to the hospital.  
  
Not that Jay could tell if this girl really resembled Erika beyond the hair, or if it was his mind playing tricks on him. Her face was bruised and bloodied, the right side of her face a myriad of black and blue, swollen to the point where her features were unremarkable. Her lower lip was split and a trail of dried blood trickled down her chin. Her hair was matted to her head on the right side. His fingers came away sticky and warm.  
  
He swore beneath his breath. He looked up into the sky. "Is this some sort of test?" The words ran together despite his best efforts at clarity. "Of course it is," he told himself sourly, "and you're fool enough to take it. Come on then, let's get you inside." He slung the girl's arm around his neck and stood, albeit unsteadily and started again to head for his store.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Okay, I was gonna make this chapter a bit longer, but I wanted to see what kind of reaction I got on it first. Promise this will not be a Mary Sue, at least my best effort to NOT make her a Mary Sue. I think Jay's got too much emotional baggage at this point anyway. But anyway, hope you like it, please review. 


	3. 3

Chapter 3:  
  
A/N: Okay, so this is looking to be long and rather involved. Work makes writing time rather short, so you'll have to bear with me as far as updates go. Glad you like it so far.  
  
Disclaimer: I own none but those I make up myself.  
  
Veins stood bulging out on Jay's neck as he pushed the store door open with one foot. He flipped the lights on with some difficulty and made for the back room. By the time he set the girl down on the cot his face was red and strained, and sweat marred his brow. She groaned as he set her down, but did not wake.   
  
Seeing the state of her face under lights, he couldn't help but wonder as to the rest of her, Her right eye was nearly closed over by swelling, and dark, dried blood stained the back of her neck and the hood of her light sweatshirt. He peeled the cover from her arms. Her arms resembled her face and her knuckles were split open.   
  
"Fought back," Jay mused, casting aside the wet sweatshirt. "Good for you." Then, though a distinct discomfort gripped him, he rolled up her tank top, revealing her torso. Like the rest of her, her right side looked like it had taken a hellacious beating.  
  
He sat back on a plastic chair, and studied her face. He shook his head, realizing then that mistaking this girl for Erika had been little more than a drunken fool's desperate imagination. He just wasn't sure if that was a relief or a disappointment. They were the same height, and had the same hair, but aside from that little was comparable.  
  
Everything about Erika had had a softness that belied her strength. When she surfed, she'd almost danced with the wave, like she was part of the water. Full lips and huge, dark, round eyes had given such life to her face. This girl was leaner, harder. Her jaw was more square than Erika's had been, her complexion not as dark. His chest tightened when he thought of her, so he went for supplies.  
  
The store had become something of a second home to Jay. Along with the cot, the back room housed a small refrigerator and a half empty box of Ramen Noodle packages lay next to it on the floor. He returned from rooting around a few moments later, carrying a water filled bowl and two small towels. He was surprised when his return was greeted by a set of suspicious steel gray eyes staring him down. He sat on his chair. She responded by edging away from him, drawing in her legs.  
  
"She lives," he said quietly. "That's something I suppose." He set the basin down slowly, leaving one towel hanging over the rim. Then he moved to the fridge, generally stocked with soda and the like, the freezer with ice. It was the latter he intended to garner. Tourists bought bags of it out front, and he always kept himself in good supply. He piled cubes into the second rag and turned back. She was still watching him, her entire body tense. "She lives, but does she speak?" No reply. "Here," he held out the towel, "for where it hurts."  
  
She leaned forward, slowly. Her eyes never left his face as she snatched the towel from his grasp like he might bite. She placed it gingerly on her swollen cheek. Her tongue licked cracked lips. "What if it hurts everywhere?" She finally asked, her voice raspy and hoarse.  
  
"No worries," the corner of his mouth quirked, "I've got plenty of ice." He went back to the fridge and pulled out a can of soda. "Drink?" he held up the offering. Her gaze looked him up and down carefully, guardedly. Jay didn't move. Finally she nodded, uncurling her legs and sitting off the edge of the cot. The Australian sat across from her on his chair and gave her the can.  
  
She lifted the drink up toward her lips, but it never got there. As she raised her elbow a look of pain swept her features and her hand dropped. Her left hand clutched her side. She closed her eyes and blew out a slow breath of air. She swallowed hard and gave a weak attempt at a laugh. "Maybe I should try that with the other hand."  
  
"More like maybe I should take you over to Playa Linda Memorial Hospital."  
  
Her eyes flew open. "No!" she cried desperately. "No hospitals."  
  
Jay was taken aback by the ferocity of her response. "Your ribs may be broken," he argued.  
  
"And they may not. No hospitals."  
  
The surfer sensed the issue was not one he should press, certainly not with someone who looked like she was two seconds away from trying their hand at the 100 yard dash. he wondered suddenly what mess he'd gotten involved in. Messy marital situation? Drug deal gone bad? A hundred possibilities flew through his mind.  
  
"Okay," he nodded. "Well, let's get you cleaned up anyway. The sand, don't want you getting an infection." He reached down and lifted the rag from the basin, squeezing it out.   
  
Jay nodded towards her hands. With only a moment's hesitation, she held out her right hand. He dabbed the broken skin, trying to focus on anything other than the fact that the sight and smell of blood was making him nauseous. Her voice breaking the stillness came as a welcome distraction. "Besides," gray eyes flicked over his face, "I make it a point not to ride in cars with men who small like Jack Daniels."  
  
Jay flushed, half annoyed, half embarrassed. He changed the subject. "If not the hospital, what about the police? You're pretty beat up, took yourself a mighty good wallop."  
  
She yanked her hand away, the hunted look flooding back into her gaze. "I...I don't, no. No cops. No hospitals."  
  
"But........."  
  
"I said no! I just.........I can't. Look, my head feels like it just got run over by a very big, very fast truck. What exactly happened anyway?"  
  
Jay's brow furrowed as he shot her a sideways glance. "I found you like this, washed up on shore about half a mile down the beach. Before that, you tell me."  
  
She shrank before him, clutching with bone white fingers the cloth beneath her hands. "You mean you don't know?" Her voice was very small.  
  
"Should I?" Jay asked, surprised. "Shouldn't you?"  
  
The girl tentatively touched the back of her head and winced. "You'd think so." Her voice trailed off. Her head throbbed more fiercely the harder she tried to remember. "But I don't. All I know is I wake up in a surf shop with my very own white knight whose name I don't even know."  
  
Jay held out a hand, which she took. "Jay Robertson. And you are?"  
  
"I'm........." The staccato drum beating in her head rose to a dull roar. Her mind was veiled. Her heart hammered as panic gripped her. "I don't remember."  
  
Blue eyes shot wide and his mouth dropped open. "Oh boy, this could be complicated."  
  
--  
  
Slender tendrils of smoke drifted upward, spreading across the ceiling. A man paced behind a leather couch, one hand cradling his Cuban cigar, the other cracking bare knuckles behind his back. His features, long and hawk-like were solemn, but dark eyes burned angrily. "You lost her?" The words were quiet, coming between puffs, but the two men towards whom they were directed shifted uneasily.  
  
"yes, Mr. Dante, sir." Dante never looked at the men, just paced. His expensive Italian loafers threatened to wear a track in the rug. His men exchanged nervous looks.   
  
Dante passed a hand over his temple. "And tell me," he said as he put out the burning end of his cigar, "exactly how did she get away from you two pillars of intellect?"  
  
"We did what you said Mr. Dante," the shorter of the two stammered nervously. "We were pretendin like we were driving her home, like always. But instead, Mike drives up to the bluff. I didn't really think she'd fight back," he explained, lifting his hand to swollen, broken lip. "She tried runnin, and Mike got her with the tire iron. So we took her to the boat."  
  
The taller man, Mike, went on. "We were planning on dropping the body with the spare anchor a couple miles out. She was out, you know, on the floor and I guess we weren't paying enough attention. Round by the pier we hear a splash and she's just gone. We went back, but we couldn't find her. Mr. Dante, she's probably dead, drowned or busted up on the pilings or something. She was too messed up to make in to shore."  
  
Dante was nodding. "Probably dead. Probably? Fuck probably! I sent you out to do a job and I want it finished. Find her. If she's dead, fine. If she's not.........finish it."  
  
--  
  
Jay left the girl on the cot, eyes half closed. It had taken him more than fifteen minutes to calm her down after her realization. Not that he could blame her really. Waking up and not knowing who you were......... Well, he conceded to himself, it wasn't an appealing proposition to most people anyway.  
  
Still, pros and cons aside, he still didn't know what to do for her. She still blatantly refused to go to the police, and she had no ID on her, not even a wallet. Hay hovered near the door to his storeroom. There was no rustle or sheets, no uneasy murmurings. Only quiet, even breathing met his ears. His gaze drifted between the doorway and the phone that sat atop the counter. He chewed the inside of his lower lip.  
  
Running a hand through unruly blonde locks, he walked over to the counter. And there he stood, drumming his fingers on the glass, still undecided. Finally, with a heavyhearted sigh, he took the receiver from its cradle. Beat up and scared was one thing, that much he could handle. But amnesia? The girl needed help whether she wanted it or not.   
  
He held the phone between his shoulder and his ear, reaching for a pad and pen. He dialed the operator. "Yeah, can I get the number for Playa Linda Memorial please? Emergency room I guess. Uh huh.........yeah thanks, go ahead and connect me." The phone began to ring. A board in the floor creaked behind him.  
  
"I said no hospital."  
  
Jay whirled, only to meet the oncoming end of something hard and heavy. His head snapped back and his knees buckled. He hit the floor. The room felt like it was spinning and his vision blurred. He was vaguely aware of someone moving over him, before a black sheet passed over his eyes and he felt nothing.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Hehe, hope you like it so far. Bradin comes back in next chapter, promise, and some of the others too. Please read and review. 


	4. 4

Chapter 3:  
  
A/N: Well I've loved all the feedback so far, and I'm glad you all like it. Like I said, this is looking to be a rather involved plot so please be patient with me. Plus, I'm trying to write a novel so there are times I'll be on a roll with that.  
  
Disclaimer: I only own the ones I make up.  
  
"Come on, we have to get going or we'll be late! Bradin!! Nikki!! I don't want you to be late your first day!" Ava shouted from her position in the kitchen, where she was still scraping the breakfast dishes into the disposal.  
  
Susanna glanced away from the paper she'd been reading. "Nikki you look great! I helped you pick out a great outfit yesterday. Stop worrying about it!" She smiled over at her best friend. Ava mouthed a silent thank you.  
  
Nikki pounded down the steps, hair streaming behind her. "Back pack?" Ava asked without turning around. Nikki spun on her heel and darted back up the steps. Susanna chuckled. The door to Bradin's room opened and all levity in the room stopped.  
  
Bradin wheeled himself out of the room, his backpack settled across his knees. The blonde youth barely looked at his aunt or Susanna. He wore gloves on his hands with the fingers exposed. He pushed himself wordlessly to the sliding back door and onto the special concrete path Johnny had laid before his return from the hospital. It wound around the side of the house to the front, since stairs blocked his way to the front door. A separate path led out to the beach, though Bradin had yet to use it.  
  
Ava sighed and tried to swallow the hard lump in her throat. "I hope this is the right thing. His therapist said he should try to go back to normal behaviors, school, activities but I just don't know. He won't talk to me."  
  
"Ava none of us know how to deal right now. And if we're confused, I can't even imagine how hard this must be for Bradin. We just need to trust the doctors and give it some more time. He's a strong kid, he'll adjust."  
  
"You're right. Okay, well, why don't you go ahead and get those flyers out to the boutiques. Johnny said he'd take Derrick to school when it's time. I'm going to drop them off and then go check in on Jay. I haven't talked to him in over a week."  
  
Susanna nodded encouragingly. "Sounds like a plan. And Ava, I know this isn't gonna do much but, try not to worry."  
  
Ava smiled tightly. "Sure." Nikki came flying down the stairs once more, this time with her bag. She had however, changed shirts in the few minutes she'd been up in her room. "Nikki......" Ava sighed.  
  
The teen grinned. "It's my first day of high school Aunt Ava. And you know what they say, you never get a second chance to make first impressions."  
  
"Uh huh. And I'm sure this has nothing to do not having seen Cameron all week." Nikki flushed but didn't answer. "I just hope you try as hard to make a good first impression with your teachers as well as the rest of the student population." Ava pointed for the front door. "No let's go."  
  
Ava grabbed her keys and followed her niece out the front. Bradin sat slouched over next to the special van Ava had purchased 8 months prior. The ugly brown van's rear door slid open and a special mechanical lift slid out of the floor so Bradin could wheel himself on. The dark cloud over his head seemed to darken as the machine carried him into the van. Ava slid the door shut, biting down on her lip and then hopped inside.  
  
Ten minutes later the van pulled up to the curb at the local high school. Kids swarmed outside, offloading from buses and streaming in from the student parking lot. Bradin slouched lower in his seat. "Do you think you could drop us off out back Aunt Ava?" he asked, speaking for the first time all morning.  
  
"Sorry, it's blocked off. Besides, the uh front entrance," he eyes flickered quickly over his chair, "has ramps." Nikki pulled open the side door and California sunlight streamed inside, reflecting off the metal chair. The elevator whirred loudly as it began its descent. Bradin could feel the eyes turning on him, boring holes into his back. The lift settled and Nikki reached out to squeeze his hand. "Do you want me to come in with you?" Ava asked front the driver's seat.  
  
"No," Bradin answered quickly. He definitely didn't want his aunt pushing him through the halls, telling him everything was going to be fine. "You'd better go Aunt Ava. You're blocking traffic." He wheeled himself onto the sidewalk. Then he lifted his head, set his chin out stubbornly and began to roll himself inside, pretending not to notice the attention he was getting.  
  
Nikki stood waiting for the ramp. "Keep an eye on him Nik, huh?"  
  
She shrugged. "I will, much as I can. I just don't know how much I'll see him. I think Bradin is gonna have to figure this one out on his own."  
  
"I'll be back to pick you up at 3:30."  
  
"K." Nikki waved before sliding the van door shut. Then she turned and began to scan the crowd for Cameron or Amber.  
  
Inside was no better for Bradin than outside had been. The halls were crammed with students, freshmen looking anxious and intimidated and upper classmen reuniting with friends. Then the bell rang and the once still river began to flow, rippling with student bodies in barely organized chaos. And everywhere he went, people stopped, scooting to the very edge of the hallway to watch him roll by. They gathered in two's and three's, head huddled together while they whispered and stared.  
  
Bradin's heart was hammering by the time he made it to his first class. By this time most of the students had emptied the hall, but for those that were lost or late. He was the latter. "Bradin?" A familiar voice floated down to him. He stopped and peered upward. Callie stood at the top of the staircase, jaw slack. He clenched his teeth and opened the door. "Bradin wait!" She flew down the stairs two at a time. He turned away, and the door closed behind him just as she reached it.  
  
--  
  
Ava pocketed the van keys and wound her way through the small collection of shops at the beaches edge. Wood flooring, covered in sand wound between each building and then morphed into a boardwalk, that led down the beach in either direction and out to the pier. She knew the way to Jay's shop by heart.  
  
It was early still, not even 8, but Ava knew that the Australian was probably up. By this time he'd be halfway into a pot of coffee, his remedy for his lack of sleep, and be shaping a board. Ava reached the store and peered in through the glass, expecting to see Jay puttering around, but she didn't. Her brow knit when she noticed that the surf shop door hung ajar, though the closed sign still hung. She pulled the door open a little farther. "Jay?"  
  
She looked past a display of post cards. Ava sucked in a breath. There, half concealed by the counter, Jay lay sprawled on his back, not moving. Ava ripped the door open and hurried to his side, kneeling when she reached him. "Jay?" her voice held a note of panic. She brushed the hair from his forehead, revealing a large bump on the side of his head. "Oh my God, Jay?"   
  
The young man groaned, reflexively turning over onto his side. His eyes opened in slits and he brought a slow hand to his temple. "Ava?" He drew his legs underneath him and sat up, leaning his head back against the display case.  
  
"What happened? Are you okay? Should I call the cops?"  
  
"Not sure, maybe and no, in that order." he winced. "Ava do me a favor?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Next time I decide to play good Samaritan......... hit me, preferably not with anything harder than an open palm."   
  
"What?" Jay relayed the story to his friend. He left nothing out, from surfing the night before to being attacked when he called the hospital that morning. "You were surfing, at night, drunk?"  
  
Jay groaned and shook his head. "Ugh, everything that happened and that's what you focus on. It was a bad night Ava, just let it go."  
  
"Seems to me like you've had a lot of bad nights lately."  
  
"Ava!" he snapped.  
  
"Sorry." She backed off the subject, sensing this was not time to press the issue. "So what do you want to do?" She grasped his arm, helping lever him off the floor. Jay grit his teeth, as the world settled back into a level plain.   
  
"I don't know. Maybe she just freaked."  
  
"Sure, freaked and then robbed you." Jay spun, sighting in on the open cash register. he hurried around to the back of the case, muttering curses beneath his breath. "How much did she take?"  
  
Jay went over the tally in his head twice. "Two hundred give or take a little."  
  
"Time for the police now?" Ava reached for the phone, which had been placed back on the receiver.   
  
"Wait. Ava you didn't see her. She didn't remember anything, but I mentioned the cops and you could see the panic in her eyes. That fear.........there was something to it. What if there's a reason for it and I go set the cops on her?"  
  
"So you're just gonna let her get away with two hundred dollars?"  
  
"Didn't say that now did I?" Jay shut the register and grabbed his keys off a hook on the wall behind him. "I'm gonna find her." he headed for the front door, Ava trailing at his heels.   
  
"She could be anywhere Jay. Be reasonable."  
  
Jay locked the door to his shop behind them. "Ava she's got no ID, no friends, no vehicle and she's too scared to go to anyone who might be able to help her. She won't be able to go too far on two hundred dollars either. I might not know where she is, but I've got a good idea where to start looking." Jay started for the parking lot. "I'll call you later." he vanished around a corner, leaving Ava to stare after him.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
I know this is rather short but I'm trying to keep getting chapters out. Please read and review. Insight is always welcome. 


	5. 5

Chapter 4:

A/N: Trouble never stops for the boys of Playa Linda.

Disclaimer: Don't own any but the ones I made up.

An blast of muggy, hot air hit Jay's face as he pulled open the door to the motel office. This was his last stop, his last chance. Carpeting from the 1970's and cheap plastic chairs adorned the small room, with a counter set in the back. A greasy, half balding man sat behind the desk, watching ESPN on a small TV. Two fans behind him moved the sweltering air around, but did little to cool it. Jay leaned his elbows against the counter, smiling pleasantly. After a moment the man turned away from his TV. "Yeah?" he asked, seeming annoyed with the inconvenience of a customer. His employee tag said 'Chet.'

"I need to know if someone's staying here."

"Sure, we get lots of people stayin here. We're cheap and we're beach front. Didn't notice the no vacancy sign on the way in?" the man laughed snidely.

"No actually, seeing as it's broken." Jay rolled his eyes. "I meant I need to know if a specific person is staying here."

"Name?" His eyes began to wander back to the TV screen.

"Um, well actually that part I don't really know." The TV screen went blank and the man turned, interest piqued.

"Come again?"

"Look," Jay leaned over the counter, whispering conspiratorially, "my sister got into it with her asshole boyfriend. She called me from a pay phone like an hour ago and told me she was gonna hole up here. My cell service cut out before she could tell me what name she'd be staying under. Said she was pretty beat up though, her face and all."

The counter man's eyes narrowed, like he was processing the inundation of information. "See man, she pisses him off time to time, enough for him to rail on her. And she leaves for a while. But every time he comes back full of apologies and she takes him back. I just need to see her."

"Well what does she look like?"

Jay bit back a grin. She was here, he could feel it. "Uh, five seven and slender. She's got nearly black hair to her shoulders and silver-gray eyes." "

Suppose I had seen someone matchin that description." He flashed Jay a toothy, conniving grin. "What would the room number be worth to you?"

Jay frowned and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. He slapped a twenty down on the counter. 'Why not? I'm already out two hundred bucks, what's twenty more?' he thought. The motel man reached out to take the bill, but Jay kept a firm hold of his end. "Room number first."

"I remember her. Came in early on in my shift, all kinds of jumpy. Face like someone took a mallet to it. Boyfriend you said?" Jay nodded. "Paid in cash so I didn't get a name. She's in 134, two from the end."

"Thanks."

"No," Chet grinned, holding up the twenty, " thank you."

The girl sat on the end of her double bed, foot tapping incessantly on the floor. She'd managed to find the one seedy motel in the sea of Playa Linda's rented beach houses and resort hotels. The TV got crappy reception and the air conditioner was broken. The bathroom was dirty and she didn't want to give much consideration to the bed. The only plus side to the place was the small balcony that overlooked the boardwalk and the beach.

All the same, she figured that if she stretched it, the money she'd taken from the surf shop could keep a roof over her head for almost a week. She just hoped that was long enough for her memory to begin to return, to remember anything of importance about her life. She sighed and fell back on the bed, her feet still tapping the ground relentlessly. Someone knocked softly on the door three times. "No thank you!" she called out. The pounding in her head had finally settled to a dull roar and the thought of a few hours of sleep was enticing. She'd already showered, washing knots from her hair and watching the water swirl red down the drain. The knocking came again. She sat up. "Not right now, thanks!" Knock, knock, knock. "Unbelievable," she muttered, standing and striding for the door.

She wrenched open the door as far as the safety chain allowed. She expected to see a maid wheeling a cleaning cart. Instead she saw Jay, jaw clenched, eyes serious. Her eyes shot wide. "Think I could get my money back?" She tried to slam the door shut on the Australian. Jay wedged his shoulder into the door, stopping her from closing it. The girl fled. She grabbed her sweatshirt off the bed as she dashed for the balcony and escape. She could hear Jay outside, straining to break the chain. There was a thud as his shoulder struck the door and the sound of wood splintering. She peered over the edge of the balcony. She gauged the drop down onto the boardwalk at a little over six feet. And though her ribs screamed violent protest she hopped the iron guard and let herself drop.

Jay threw his weight into the door a second time. The cheap rape chain ripped from the door and he burst inside. Curtains billowing from the back of the room and the open sliding door drew his attention. He ran to the balcony, but by the time he got there and started scanning the crowd, the girl had vanished once again.

--

Bradin pushed himself away from the cafeteria. He'd eaten alone and in silence, the gap between himself and another student a good ten feet. Not that he was terribly surprised. He'd only met a few local kids his age before the accident, and he knew none at school aside from Callie. But he was trying to avoid the former Midwesterner, aided by the fact that she apparently had lunch break after him. The only other person that would have gone to Playa Linda high was Sarah, and he didn't even know where she had ended up.

His face burned, and he felt hot despite the air conditioning. He'd heard a small cluster of upper classman talking in the caf, apparently taking no notice to him, though they had been talking about him. He recognized two as Erika's former students.

The conversation replayed in his head as he traveled, over and over. "Did you see the new resident cripple?" one sneered.

"Yeah," the snickered. "You know he gets to bail from class five minutes before each bell, so he doesn't have to be in the hall when it's crowded." A short, dark boy whined jokingly. "Just cuz he's in that stupid chair."

One of Erika's students, Dillon, had piped up next. "You know what happened to him right?" "

No."

"I knew him, met him once last summer. He was takin lessons from Erika, the girl who used to work for Jay. Dumbass drags Erika into following his loony girlfriend out on the highway. Long story short, big pileup. Kid got her killed."

Even as he recalled the words he felt hollow in his chest. He got her killed. Was it true? He'd never believed it before, counting it off as a horrific, painful stain in his life he'd never forget. But had he caused it? He stopped pushing, chest heaving.

His eyes roved, focusing finally on two figures at the end of the hall. A darkly clad youth stood at the end of the hall. He passed a small baggie to a kid Bradin couldn't really see, shrouded behind a sweatshirt hood and then pocketed a small fold of bills. Jolted back into the present, Bradin started to back pedal, but by that time he'd been seen. "Hey!" He spun himself around and pushed harder. "Hey!" The sound of running feet came rushing up behind him. The kid in dark clothes grabbed the back of his chair, stopping him dead. He came around to face Bradin and his eyes blazed angrily. He pulled out a slender, black object and pushed a button. A gleaming blade slid out of the hilt, aimed just beneath his chin. "What did you see?"

He swallowed reflexively, his gaze never drifting from the knife. "N.........n.........nothing," he stammered. The other kid put the knife away. "Good answer." he turned and began to walk away. "Just don't forget it." Bradin sat there for a long while, mind reeling as he waited for his heart to slow it frantic beat.

--

Jay trod despairingly down the boardwalk back to the Promenade and his store. It was nearly noon and he was sure a handful of shop regulars would be wondering where he'd disappeared. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, the toes of his sandals scraping the boards as he walked. He'd searched the beach and nearby stores for any sign of the girl, but he'd had no luck. he resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't likely to see the girl, or his money ever again.

He was just past the halfway mark of his march when he stopped dead in his tracks. There, sitting on a bench, staring vacantly out at the ocean waves crashing down on the shore, sat a now familiar figure. Her hair was pulled away from her face and since he stood on her right, he saw for the first time how she must truly look. And he noticed the sadness in her face. He moved toward her cautiously, hoping not to incite another flight of escape. Soon he stood just next to her, and she hadn't so much as twitched. "You forget me too?" He asked, ready for her to make a break when she realized who it was. gray eyes flicked up at him once, then went back to watching the waves.

"You're not running," he stated simply, confused. She didn't look at him. "I kept moving for a while," she admitted, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Then I realized......... Where am I gonna go?" She nodded to herself. "Guess I don't really see the point now."

"Suppose I could be glad of that." Jay sat next to her. "Frankly I'm rather sick of chasing you."

She held up a crumpled wad of bills. "It's what's left of your money." Jay took it, fingering the paper without putting it away. She turned to him then, tears in her eyes. "Look I'm sorry. The money, you, all of it. I'll make up for what I took, somehow. But if you're gonna call the cops I'm telling you that I won't be here when they come. Because I still can't go to them, or the hospital and I still can't tell you why. I just, woke up one morning in some guy's store, not knowing where I was or how I got there. And I freaked."

Her lip trembled slightly and she averted her gaze once more. "it's like I woke up one morning and everything was gone. My whole life just vanished in an instant. Do you know what that feels like?"

Jay's mouth quirked. "Think I understand I might better than you'd imagine." He sighed heavily, knowing full well he was likely going to regret his next words. "Come on."

He stood and she followed suit, hooking her thumbs into the belt loops of her jeans. "Where are we going?"

"Well, if you're really set on payin me back, then I'll need you somewhere I can keep track of ya. Besides, I kinda got vested interest in you now. So I'm taking you someplace to stay a while. Least till your memory comes back. Don't need the guilt of you smashin some other poor bloke over the head." "

Oh."

"There is one other thing." he shot her a sideways glance.

"Yeah?"

"We need to give you a bloody name."

She laughed then, and the sound was warm. "What? You don't want to keep callin me girl?"

"Not particularly, no."

"All right. Well, I'm here, and that's about all I can tell you. So why stop a trend? You can call me Linda."

Chapter 4

What do you think? Read and enjoy, thanks to all my lovely reviewers. makes my day when I see those.


	6. 6

Chapter 5:  
A/N: Sorry this has been so long in coming, but you know, school, a job....life.  
Disclaimer: The only ones I own are the ones you don't see on TV.  
  
Jay stood just beyond view outside the sliding glass door. He could hear Susannah and Ava inside, laughing about something. A weight settled across his shoulders and his frame seemed to shrink. How long had it been since he's sat and laughed with his friends? That kind of happiness just seemed foreign and vague to him. He steeled himself with a deep breath and walked inside.  
  
The two women fell silent the moment he passed through the doorway. It had been months, Susannah realized at that moment, since the last time she'd seen Jay willingly come inside. "Jay." One simple word managed to crack the awkward stillness that hung in the air.  
  
"Hey Susannah, Ava." He noticed the bag at Susannah's feet. He pointed. "Coming, or going?"  
  
"Going," she answered. "Paris for a few days."  
  
Ava set down a fabric swatch. "No luck?"  
  
Jay scratched his neck. "Uh no actually, quite the opposite. She's waiting for the all clear in my room."  
  
Susuannah's jaw dropped. "You brought her HERE?" she asked, incredulous. "Jay, Ava told me she attacked you."  
  
"Susannah she was scared. Makes everyone a little irrational."  
  
"Irrational maybe yeah, not homicidal."  
  
"You're blowing this way out of proportion!"  
  
"Am I? She tried to bash your head in Jay!"  
  
"She said she freaked and I believe her. Besides, she's got nowhere else to go."  
  
Susannah shot him a withering look. "So you bring her here. Why not? What, now we're running a safehouse for runaways and God knows what? Jay you don't know a thing about her."  
  
"Yeah and neither does she."  
  
A car horn blared from outside and Susannah glanced at her watch. "Damn it. You are so lucky I have to go catch a plane right now Robertson." She glanced over to Ava. "Don't go too easy on him." She reached down for the handle of her suitcase and headed for the door.  
  
Jay clamped his lower lip between his teeth. His eyes flicked up to Ava, who had yet to say a word. "You've got nothing to say?"  
  
Ava didn't answer for a moment, instead studying the face of her friend. She couldn't lie to herself; the idea of housing some strange girl off the street made her nervous. But by the same token, if it meant getting Jay to come around more often it might be worth the risk. It was nice to see him at the house out of his own free will, and not in his as of late typical stupor or drunken haze. She pursed her lips, and something glimmered in her eyes he couldn't quite read. "Do you want me to hit you now, or later?"  
  
Jay didn't exactly smile, but it was close enough. "So you're okay then?"  
  
"Okay might be too strong a word. But Johnny's here, and we can lock the house up at night........."  
  
"Don't go to the trouble," a soft voice said from the sliding door. "I won't stay." Ava looked toward the girl and immediately sucked in a breath. Standing with her back to the sun, even in midday, cast a soft shadow across the girl's features. She looked, in that moment, just like......... Ava's eyes snapped back to Jay. The Australian's face was taught, like he'd seen a ghost.  
  
"No, no," Ava stumbled over the words as she tried to regain her composure. "I just meant........."  
  
"I know," the girl nodded. "I get it. You people don't owe me anything. It was too much to even ask. I'm sorry. There's a homeless shelter not far from here. Don't think they'd ask too many questions. I'll just stay there. But Jay, I will get you your money back."  
  
Linda turned to leave. "Wait!" Ava called after her, eyes squeezed shut. "Stay in Jay's room, it's no trouble. I may not know you, but I do know him and I trust his judgment. So stay, please."  
  
"Thank you," Linda responded after a moment's hesitation. She shifted edgily and looked to Jay. "I'll just wait for you out on the beach." Jay nodded, eyes still locked on Ava and she headed out into the sand.  
  
Ava made herself wait till the girl was out of earshot. "She looks like....."  
  
"I know."  
  
"But I mean they could have been....."  
  
Jay cut her off again. "I know."  
  
"Jay, tell me that's not the reason she's here."  
  
"It's not the reason." The designer still seemed uncertain. "Really Ava, it's not." She descended the steps, coming to stand beside him, hugging his arm."  
  
She nodded. "Okay. Tell her she can get whatever she wants from the fridge and dinner's at seven." She paused. "It's good you're here. You should come around more often. We miss you."  
  
He carefully removed himself from Ava's grasp, choosing not to respond. "I'll come check in on her tomorrow," he said evasively. He stepped for the door, mumbling beneath his breath so Ava couldn't hear, "Sometimes I miss me too."  
  
Jay padded out onto the beach. The breeze off the water snatched at his shirttails, sending them snapping. Linda sat in the sand, knees hugged tight against her chest. She was staring out into the water like she'd been earlier that day when he'd found her along the boardwalk. Jay sat next to her. He closed his eyes, enjoying the nearly rhythmical crashing of waves into the beach. He dug his toes deep into the warm sand, leaning back on his hands.  
  
"Thank you," Linda said finally without looking at him. "I don't deserve your help."  
  
Jay shrugged, bumping her shoulder with his. "Who knows?" He questioned. "Maybe you do." Linda didn't proffer a response, just went back to watching the waves, leaving them in a silence neither familiar nor awkward, but easy.  
  
--  
  
"Come on Bradin," the chipper voiced, pixie haired physical therapist encouraged. "You can do it! Concentrate and push against my hand. Better." She beamed. Bradin glared. Despite the fact that he was basically lying flat out on a rubber mat, he sweated heavily. He bit down on the inside of his cheek and refused to meet the woman's gaze.  
  
'How could he push against pressure he didn't even feel?' And despite all the woman's 'good's' and 'much better's he felt little different than he had a month earlier, six months earlier. He was still a cripple, still bound to a chair he loathed. And that other life, that other Bradin, was a vague and distant memory floating worlds away.  
  
Bradin growled, frustrated and gave up his attempts. He went limp on his back. His therapist's hand was on his knee, not that he could feel it. "Each small step is a victory," she told him. He nearly laughed in her face. Ironic choice of words really, steps. His chair was wheeled back to him and after applying the brakes, reached up and levered himself into the seat.  
  
Bradin wiped his face with a small cloth towel and peered around the room for his aunt. She generally stayed for his sessions, puttering anxiously in the background. He spotted her near the door, standing with her back to him, talking with someone. The conversation appeared to be ending and Ava's counterpart made for the exit.  
  
He recognized her face instantly. Callie. He sucked in a quiet breath. What was she doing talking to Ava? Why on earth had she shown up at PT? These were questions to which he had no answers, but he was damn sure going to get some.  
  
Bradin sat pensively in the backseat of the van on the way home. Ava kept up a steady stream of idle chatter, not really expecting much of, or really any response at all. Ava had realized in the months prior that a bad session of PT usually led to a silent ride home.  
  
"I'm just going to drop you at the house. Johnny should be home but if he's not the back door is open. I just need to pick up Derrick from a friends and I'll be back to start dinner." She pulled up to the curb. Bradin wheeled himself out onto his lift and out onto the walkway. "Oh and Bradin........." He didn't let her finish.  
  
"Why did Callie come to my PT?" The lift slowly receded back into the confines of the van.  
  
His aunt appeared surprised, but recovered quickly. "She came by to see how you're doing."  
  
"And she talked to you? I don't want her there Aunt Ava."  
  
His aunt tried desperately to calm her nephew. "She's worried about you Bradin, that's all, and she's trying to be a friend. She told me you avoided her at school today........."  
  
"So what, you're having discussions about me now?"  
  
"Bradin she didn't mean any harm. She just wants to see you get better, we all do."  
  
His face was pinched, red. "Maybe I'm sick of everyone's help! Maybe I'm just tired of everyone waiting for me to magically get better. Maybe this is it Aunt Ava! Maybe this is better!" His face was trembling as he yelled.  
  
"Bradin you can't think like that," Ava pleaded with him. "Your Physical Therapist says a positive attitude is important to recovery."  
  
"God damn it Aunt Ava, you don't know anything about it! I've been waiting a year for better, and it hasn't gotten me anything. I was deluded to think I'd walk again, and now I think maybe I don't deserve to." He slammed the van door shut and sped off down the path, leaving Ava shocked and open mouthed at the wheel.  
  
Fighting back tears of rage and grief, Bradin entered the house. He stopped in the middle of the living room and swiped angrily at his eyes with the back of a hand. The refrigerator door was propped open while someone rummaged inside. A voice floated over the top of the door.  
  
"Sorry. I just grabbed some bread and peanut butter. I'll get out. Hope you don't mind." His eyes narrowed, brow furrowing. The owner of the disembodied voice stood, shutting the door with her hip. Nearly jet black hair fell around slender shoulders.  
  
Bradin's mouth fell open and his bag slipped from his fingers. "Erika?"  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Sorry this took so long to come out, hope you like it and hope I get the next part out a little quicker. Please read and review. 


	7. 7

Chapter:

A/N: Thank you for being patient. Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Not sure if I'm gonna connect Linda to Erika or not, but it is something of an intriguing idea.

Disclaimer: I own none but the ones you never saw on TV.

Linda shut the door slowly, her eyes narrowing. She fought to keep her voice at an even pitch. "Do you know me?"

The momentary elation Bradin had felt flattened in an instant. That wasn't Erika's voice, and upon closer inspection, looking past the bruises, not her face. Similar, but not her. He shook his head, "No." He picked his bag up off the floor and tossed it unceremoniously onto the couch. The white pallor of his face turned crimson. He became accusatory. "What are you doing here?" he snapped. "Who let you in?"

Linda's head reeled back, surprised by the teen's sudden change in mood. "I...I uh...I'm staying here for a while." She chewed nervously on her lower lip. "I'm a friend of Jay's." Ava reached the back door just in time to hear Linda utter the last words. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that Linda wouldn't realize what was going on, but wishing she hadn't said it just the same.

A thundercloud rolled over Bradin's eyes. His hands clenched the wheels of his chair, knuckles bone white against the rubber. He spat venom when he spoke, and aimed most of it in the direction of his aunt. "A friend?" he snarled. His head snapped in Ava's direction. "And you're just letting her stay?"

His voice rose progressively as he yelled. "That's sick Aunt Ava!" He wheeled forward, stopping beside a small end table. "How could you let him? Can't you see! What? Does he think it's gonna bring her back, screwing some random girl that looks like her? He doesn't even care!" Tears glistened in the boy's eyes.

Ava came in slowly, her heart going out to her nephew. Still, his attacks were unfair, and that he had to know. "You don't understand Bradin, honey."

"Bullshit! I understand...."

Linda moved for the kitchen steps, eyeing the back door longingly. She set the peanut butter on the counter. "I think I'd better just go. I'll wait for Jay in his room."

Bradin's rage was boiling over now, his frustrations and anger of the last months ballooning beyond his control. He peeled his eyes from his aunt and trained them on the imposter. "Get out," he snarled. He struck out with his arm, swiping two picture frames and a vase off the table. Glass shattered and skittered across the ground, making Linda jump. "Get out!!" The dark haired girl darted for the door, brushing past Ava without so much as a glance.

Ava tried to placate him. "Bradin, please calm down and listen...."

"No! I don't want to listen to any more bull Aunt Ava, no more lies. Just leave me alone!" He turned his chair and sped into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Ava's shoulder sagged. She was going to be late to pick up Derrick. The house was empty, silent. Her knees trembled and she sank to the floor, sobbing with her head in hands.

--

Linda paced Jay's tiny room off the side of the house. She'd flipped on the lights, but it still seemed dark. There was a silent, almost palpable despair lingering in the stagnant air. The room was in utter disarray, clothes strewn about the floor. A surf board hung on pegs on the wall, and papers had scattered off of Jay's small desk.

Linda sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped tightly in her lap. She chewed on her lower lip, as she stared edgily around the room. She didn't dare go back into the house. She sat there for a few minutes, till she began incessantly tapping her foot on the floor. She rose with a sigh, pacing the small space. She stopped in front of the desk, her fingers resting lightly on the wood.

Grasping the drawer handle, she pulled it open slowly. It stuck, and she noticed that it was overstuffed. She pulled harder, and the drawer shot open. Papers practically exploded, spilling out onto the floor. There were pictures too. She noticed the edge of a picture frame near the rear and she grasped it gingerly, spilling more papers and pictures as she removed it. The glass was cracked, obscuring the photo inside. Curiosity piqued, she undid the clasps at the back of the frame and removed the photo.

Linda sucked in a short breath. Goosebumps raised up on her arms. Jay, a much happier, tanner, heavier looking Jay stared back at her. His eyes were lit and a wide smile played upon his face. But what surprised her was the girl next to him, arms wrapped around his shoulder and looking just as happy. They could have been related, they could have been sisters. She set the picture down on the desk and rooted around. All the pictures in the desk had the girl. Many were dusty, some crumpled or torn, but in all they were happy pictures. A weight settled on her chest. "What the hell did I get myself into?"

The sun rose the following morning in a cloudless sky. Shimmering pink streaks gave way to a crystal blue canvas. Jay trudged through the sand banks up to the house. He didn't go to the main building, peeling off to his apartment. He rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles, but no one answered. He pushed the door open. The room was pitch dark and he went to the window first, pulling back the blinds. He turned, his gaze sweeping down to his bed.

Linda lay on her side, legs slightly splayed below her knees, on top off the sheets. She hadn't changed out of her clothes from the day before, not even kicked off her shoes. Her right arm was slung across a pillow hugged tight to her chest. Her head was nestled in the crook of her left arm. He moved back for the door, not wanting to wake her, and sighted his desk. His jaw tightened when he saw the pictures strewn over the surface. His hands clenched, and he cracked his thumbs. Behind him Linda began to stir.

The dark haired girl sat up in the bed, brushing her hair away from her face. "Hey," she greeted. "Morning." Jay didn't turn, didn't answer. "Jay?"

The Australian walked over to the desk. He held out his hand for the photos, but stopped just short of touching them. His fingers trembled. "What were you doing?" he asked darkly.

"I was just looking around a little."

"Why? What gives you the right?"

Linda stood slowly, but stayed near the bed. "Who was she Jay? And why am I here?"

He spun, face red. "You don't go digging up the past!" he yelled. "Especially when it's not yours to dig through."

"You didn't answer my question. I feel like I'm in a sideshow of freaks! And I just want somebody to tell me what the hell is going on!" Her back was up. This was the second time in two days she was being screamed at because of the girl in the photo and she still didn't know why.

"You're here because you needed someplace to stay, but that's it. Stay out of my things, and out of my past." He stalked toward the door.

"Who is Erika?"

He stopped mid-stride, resting one hand on the worn wood doorframe. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "How do you know her name?"

"I caught the name in the midst of the verbal barrage I got hit with last night. Here I am diggin through your fridge when all of a sudden this kid in a wheelchair no less starts freakin out on me. And I'm sorry for rooting through your desk, but I was just looking for some answers. I've all these questions," she sat back on the bed, voice going quiet, "and no answers."

Jay squeezed his eyes shut. "Bradin. I didn't even think."

"What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything." His shoulders sagged and he sighed heavily.

"It's because I look like that girl, isn't it?" Jay nodded, his jaw clenched as if in pain. "What happened?" she implored.

His chin fell to his chest. "She died, and you're a ghost." An uneasy silence settled between them. He glanced over his shoulder, "It's not your fault. It just is. Go inside huh? I'll be in in a minute." Linda complied soundlessly, scooting by Jay and heading up to the back door. Jay went back to the bed, picking up the picture of him and Erika as he went, and sat staring at it.

Inside the house Ava puttered around the kitchen, preparing pancake batter while Johnny brewed coffee. He leaned against the countertop, steaming cup in hand. He was fighting back a grim smile. "Come on Ava, I think you're letting everything get to you."

"You didn't see her Johnny. She was all beat up and..." Ava snipped. She ladled the first of the batter into a hot pan. "And you didn't see Jay and Bradin's faces when they saw her."

"All I'm saying is that there is no way this girl could look that much like......whoa." Johnny's eyebrows shot skyward, his jaw slack. Ava's gaze darted to the door, where Linda tentatively stood.

Linda's face flushed. "I really wish people would stop doing that."

Ava elbowed Johnny's side. "I told you." The designer set down the batter. "Come in, please. Have some coffee, something to eat. You didn't come in for dinner yesterday."

Linda leaned in, though her feet didn't move. "Is uh, your boy up? I don't want to upset him again."

"No, the kids will be asleep for another half hour at least." She waved her hand at her. "Come in. You sleep all right?"

Linda ascended the small flight of stairs, accepting a mug of coffee. "Yes, for the most part. Have a headache though," she touched the side of her head gingerly, "no great surprise there though huh?" She managed a weak smile.

"Do you need anything?"

"Um...clothes maybe. Think these are starting to get a bit rank."

"Okay, well, I may have some samples that would fit...."

"I've got it covered Ava," Jay's voice interrupted. "There are some boxes...at the back of my closet. Take what you need."

"Jay..."

"It's okay Ava, really. I mean come on, they'll definitely fit." No one laughed at the weak joke. "It's okay." The other woman nodded slowly. "So?" The Aussie questioned. "Do I smell pancakes?"

--

Bradin wheeled himself down the nearly empty corridors at the high school. The lunch room was at the opposite end of the school from his English class. He'd been in a dark mood all day, not saying a word to anyone, not that he was particularly chatty on a good day. Everyone else in the house seemed fine with Jay bringing home an Erika look alike, but he wasn't. He couldn't believe Jay had replaced the so called 'love of his life' so easily.

Ava had tried talking to him again on the way to school that morning, but he'd turned up the volume on his CD player to drown her out. He didn't want to hear it. Now he wished he'd kept the player on him, when he heard another all too familiar voice. "Bradin!" He didn't stop. Footfalls came fast up behind him. Callie darted in front of him and stopped dead, making him halt as well. "Bradin I need to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk Callie."

"No, I need to talk to you."

He didn't look at her, but started back toward the cafeteria. "Go away."

"But Bradin...."

"No!" he rounded the corner in the hall. Suddenly his hands fell away from his wheels, and he felt like his heart had stopped in his chest. Everything was cold and the roar in his ears made him near deaf.

There she was, just as he remembered. Blonde, skinny, with her little ski jump nose and face best called cute. Sarah. She stood outside the cafeteria door, hanging on the arm of an Junior Bradin couldn't recall the name of. She turned, her hair flipping around her shoulders and her eyes locked onto his. Her smile died, and she pulled her boyfriend away. He was dimly aware of Callie still at his side. "I wanted to tell you Sarah was back," the other girl muttered softly. "I thought you should be prepared."

Bradin didn't answer. He spun his chair and headed away from the cafeteria, away from Sarah. "Bradin!" Callie called after him. To her credit she didn't follow, a small favor for which he was grateful. His heart was hammering, he had to get away. The bell rang and kids flooded into the hall. It was then that he noticed a kid in dark, baggy clothes, the same one from the day before.

He wound his way through the crowd, eyes locked onto his target. "Hey!" he called. The kid kept moving, into the back hallway. Bradin followed. "Hey! Wait up."

The kid spun. "I thought I told you yesterday to keep your nose out of my business."

"I know."

"Then what are you, stupid?"

"No." bradin twisted in his seat, digging around his bag. He pulled out a twenty and leveled the other kid with his stare. "I'm desperate. What have you got?"

Chapter 7

Okay,I know this has taken a while, but hope it was worth the wait. Obviously bradin has some issues, and so does Jay. No, Callie and Bradin never got to the point where they were considered a 'thing', but it's a nice plot device. Please read, enjoy and review!


	8. 8

Chapter 7:  
A/N: K, so I realize I haven't updated this in forever, but do bear with me. Have been writing other pieces, or just not writing at all. But here is the next section in seasons change, hope you enjoy. I kind of wrote myself into a corner here, but I'll try and struggle my way out.  
Disclaimer: The only ones I own you never saw on TV.

The next two days in the Gregory household passed mostly without incident. The sun rose and the sun set, as it has a tendency to do, and the tides rolled in and out. The initial shock of seeing Erika's doppelganger passed, though Linda was well aware of the occasional double take when she passed quickly through a room. Jay stopped by the house more, though Bradin came out of his room less. He and Linda generally avoided each other, as she spent most of her time in Jay's old apartment, and only came into the house when she knew he wasn't around.

Linda's wounds began their slow healing. She'd bandaged her hands, covering the split knuckles. The swelling in her face lessened, though the dark, ugly bruises remained. She felt strange, walking around in a dead woman's clothes, but she was short on way of options. She'd caught Jay a few times, stopping himself from calling her Erika. Still, just when everything had seemed to begin to settle, the end of the week arrived and whatever thin line of peace connected the house broke.

Jay hadn't shown up for dinner Thrusday night. Bradin sat in a daze the whole time he was at the table, eating two or three forkfuls of food at most. His blue eyes were half lidded and glazed, and his face was ashen. Linda had come inside when the kids had gone to their rooms, and she realized that neither Johnny nor Ava could look directly at her. Ava brushed by her without a word, up the stairs and into her workroom.

The raven haired girl glanced to Johnny, who was staring fixedly into his cup f coffee. "What did I do?" she asked, confused.

"You didn't do anything," he said shortly. After dumping what remained of his coffee in the sink, he too hurried away. Linda blew out a heavy sigh, then went to the fridge.

The next morning dawned clear and sunny. Bradin could see the sun blazing down outside his window. The weather was a cruel mockery of the day, and he quickly shut his blinds. Ava would let him stay home from school if he asked he was sure, but he didn't. As much as he dreaded school, loathed the thought of running into Sarah, he couldn't stomach the thought of staying in the house.

His bag was propped against his desk in the far corner of the room. He pushed himself over and yanked the bag into his lap. He unzipped the side pocket, digging down past crumpled slips of paper and gum wrappers and pulled out a flat square of blue plastic, no larger than a condom wrapper. A little white dolphin was drawn on the front, in the middle of a leap. He turned it over in his fingers a few times, staring at it like it might suddenly decide to give him answers. He pinched the oval pill inside between his thumb and forefinger.

The pills had been in his bag for three days. He'd bought two from the kid at school in the back hall the day he'd seen Sarah. He'd thought about it, hell he'd bought the pills intending then and there to swallow them, but he hadn't. Every time he went to rip the plastic his hands started to shake. The kid had assured him that the pills were safe and that they'd, 'take his troubles away.' He didn't particularly care if they took his troubles, so long as they took the pain with it. The pain in his chest made him feel he was going to split wide open. He'd seen her face last night, her eyes. They were the same eyes he'd seen moments before her car had flipped on the freeway, terrified, because he was sure somehow she'd known. 

He tore clumsily into the packaging, nearly dropping the pill from his quaking hands. He tossed it into the back of his mouth and tossed his head back. He'd taken so many pain pills and medications in the last year he no longer needed water to swallow them. He crumpled the wrapper in his hand and put it back in his bag, then wheeled out of his room.

The family was waiting for him. Ava and Johnny, his brother and sister. Susannah wasn't back yet from Europe, and Bradin thought she had the right idea. They all looked sad, were dressed in hues appropriate for the occasion. Even Ava, the queen of beach wear and bright colors looked somber in a dark navy suit. "We gonna go? Or do you want us to sit around and make some weird ass family portrait to commemorate today?" Shaking his head he wheeled out the door, not waiting for a response. 

Ava's pained gaze never left the blonde boy in the wheelchair. "Go out to the van okay? And don't forget, we're going straight to the airport after school to pick up Mrs. Cole. Then we'll head to the cemetery."

Derrick and Nikki nodded and head out. Ava turned to Johnny, tears shining in her eyes. "Is Jay coming?" Johnny shook his head. Ava let out a shaky breath. "I don't know if I can do this Johnny."

The tall man wrapped one arm around his friend, pulling her into his chest. His other hand stroked her hair. "Yes you can, because you're not going to do it alone. I'm right here."

"Thank you," she whispered, gazing up at him.

Johnny stroked her cheek with his thumb. The past year had made them even closer, in small ways, ways he could only feel and couldn't explain. He forced a smile. "Anytime." Ava wiped her eyes and reluctantly removed herself from his embrace. Hand in hand the two ascended the stairs.

--

Linda squinted, peering through the sliding glass door. The house was completely dark, with no sign of any living presence within. Unfortunately the door was also locked, as it had been all day. She'd avoided the house that morning, feeling the residual discomfort of the night before. But now, in the dark and at nearly 8 she expected someone to be home. She found the whole thing quite strange. 

The wind was whipping furiously off the water. Linda zipped Erika's worn orange and gray hoody as high as it would go and tramped down to the beach. Flip flops dangled from the fingertips of her left hand. She sat first on shoreline, till the tide started to come in and the cool water dashed over her feet. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting till she glanced at her watch, and was more than a bit surprised to see she'd been there for more than an hour. All the same, she didn't feel like returning to the house so she went back to walking. The storefront was surprisingly deserted for a Friday night, though she did note that the restaurant was fairly full, though all the umbrellas had been pulled in from their outdoor seating. It was the first time she'd been down at the pier since Jay had found her sitting on the bench. The wind still blew angrily, and her hair whipped uncontrollably around her face.

The sign on Jay's shop said it was closed, but she saw lights on in the back, and could hear faint strains of music. A shadow of a man played across the back wall and she knew Jay was in. She tried the door out of habit, and didn't think much of it when it opened and she slipped inside.

She hung back in the shadow of the doorway to the rear room. Jay was pacing the small room, bottle in hand. He was a mess, his hair and clothes a disheveled mess. Even from a distance she could see his swollen, bloodshot eyes. It took him a few laps to notice his quiet observer. "What are you doing here?" he asked, taking a long pull from his bottle. 

"The house was empty," she explained. "I went on a walk. You haven't come around."

"You shouldn't be her." He said coldly.

"What?"

"I said you shouldn't be here."

"No you didn't. You said I shouldn't be HER." Her eyes narrowed. "Jay what day is today?" He turned his back to her. She moved so he was facing her again. "Jay." His eyes were closed and he was shaking his head, muttering to himself. A tear slid down his face. "That's why everyone was gone today wasn't it? This is the day Erika………"

The Australian eyes flew open. "You don't say her name!!" he roared. He stepped toward her, fury resonating on every facet of his face. "You don't get to say her name to me!" She shrunk away from him, till her back pressed up against the wall. He was pressed up against her, his breath hot and wreaking like cheap whiskey. "You look like her. You can wear her clothes. You even………smell like her. But you're not. So you don't get to talk to me like you know anything!" He gestured with his hand and the bottle slipped from his fingers, shattering a few feet away. She flinched.

Linda didn't move for a long time, waiting for her heart to stop hammering in her chest. Jay took a deep breath, blinking. She was cowering, hands up and her face was screwed up in a wince. He took a few steps back, watching the tension slip from her body. He spun on his heel, grabbing a board that was propped against the counter. Her voice stopped him by the door. "Why didn't you go with them?"

"I can't look her mother in the eye."

"And?" she asked the surfer's back.

"They went to visit her in the cemetery. That's not where she is. That's a headstone. We spread her ashes a mile off the point. She's in the waves, just like she loved." His head dropped to his chest and he trotted out the door, ignoring Linda's call.

She followed him out of the store. He was drunk. She'd counted more than ten beers scattered on the floor, not to mention the nearly empty bottle he'd been sucking down. It was pitch black and the storm brewing off shore had made the waves mountains. She couldn't let him surf. As much as she hurried she could gain on him across this sand. He'd kicked off his sandals and pulled his shirt off over his head by the time she got to him. 

"Jay!" she yelled over the wind and the crashing waves.

"Leave me alone!" A streak of lightening passed overhead, followed shortly thereafter by booming thunder.

"You're gonna get yourself killed!" The first raindrop pelted her head. He started slowly for the water's edge. She followed. "And maybe you don't care, and maybe you don't think I know anything but you're gonna listen to me now." She grabbed his left arm with both hands, trying to hold him on shore. "Erika was amazing." Jay froze. Another flash of lightening ripped through the sky, landing somewhere out in the water. It was pouring now, soaking them both.

"I know she was, and you know how I know? Because of what losing her did to you and every other person up in that house. I see the way you've all looked at me, in the moments you forget she's gone. And I see the hurt in all your faces come flooding back when you realize she is. So I'm gonna ask you, what you're doing here tonight, would she want you to honor her memory like this?"

Jay screamed, an anguished, tortured cry. He whirled, flinging Linda from his arm. She landed on her side in the sand, ribs crying out in protest. She couldn't breathe for a moment, and drew her knees up to her chest, clutching at her side. Jay sank down in the sand, holding his head in his hands. His senses were returning to him, chasing away the numbness. Guilt immediately washed over him when he spotted Linda curled up in the sand. He stood and moved toward her.

Lightening briefly illuminated Jay's face, before the night cast shadows over him. Linda watched him approach, looming over top of her. For some reason panic gripped her. Each time she blinked she saw a flash………another man………a tire iron. Her eyes roamed wildly and she began to back away from Jay. She scrambled to her feet, keeping the distance between them. "Linda?" his voice was questioning. She didn't answer, but instead fled back to the house.

--

Linda was gingerly pulling on a blue tank top the next morning when Jay knocked on the door. She didn't answer. He cracked the door. She spared him a glance before she returned her attention to the clothes she was separating to wash. He let himself in. Her hair was pulled back, revealing every ugly bruise on her face. "Linda," he reached out to touch her shoulder, but she ducked away from him. He swallowed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'm sorry."

"You were drunk. It's fine."

"No it's not. It's not fine because you're looking exactly I did the night I met you."

"And how's that?"

"Scared," he said bluntly. "And that's my fault, and I'm sorry." She didn't say anything, but she looked at him and nodded. He sat on the edge of the bed. "You were right you know." Her eyebrow quirked. "She was amazing. And she wouldn't want what happened to ruin my life, she wouldn't have let me ruin it. No matter how much I tried," he chuckled. "She was good for me like that." Linda smiled despite herself. "Thank you." She searched his face, but he looked totally earnest.

"Help me take these clothes inside, and act as my watchdog for Bradin, and we'll call it even." Jay grinned, and for the first time in a long time his smile reached his eyes. He grabbed the load and led the way into the house.

Johnny was sitting on the couch as they passed, flipping through channels on the TV. He stopped briefly on ESPN, and for some reason the telecast caught Linda's eye. The announcers were discussing next week's Santa Anita handicap. Johnny flipped the channel again. Linda leaned against the couch, gaze fixated on the television. "Go back for a second. Last time he worked Silver Daze ran a 1:10. I want to get a look at Geller Man, see if maybe he looks like he bounced after his 103 Byer in the Pacific."

The silence that engulfed the room was deafening. Jay's mouth hung slightly open and Johnny was peering back at her over his shoulder. Linda glanced around. "What?"

Chapter 7 Hope it was worth the wait, more Bradin next time, and hopefully Callie too. I'm also thinking I'll start to play with Ava and Johnny. 


End file.
